THE Pretoria North Regional Court recently sentenced Desiree Williams to 10 years in jail for stealing leggings.
The 57-year-old woman, originally from Cape Town, was
convicted of theft of leggings amounting to R798,40 from a Cotton On retail
store.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokeswoman Lumka
Mahanjana said the woman told the court that on 25 September she went to Cotton
On in Montana and intentionally stole two pairs of leggings.
“After checking if they fit her in the fitting room, she
put them in her bag intending to leave the store without paying for them.
“When she was walking out the door, the store manager
stopped her and called her to the back office and searched her bag,” Mahanjana
said in a statement.
Williams confessed and pleaded guilty in court to the
charge of theft.
Prosecutor Rabia Ebrahim told the court that it was in the
interest of society to impose a harsher sentence as Williams continued to
commit the same offence since 1981 and no sentence has rehabilitated or
deterred her.
Ebrahim told the court that Williams has 34 previous
convictions for theft – 29 of those are older than 10 years while five are
between 2011 and last year, and she’s still awaiting trial for 31 pending
cases.
“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentence
and is thankful for the work and dedication by the investigating officer of the
Sinoville Police Station in gathering evidence that led to the conviction and
sentencing,” Mahanjana said. Daily Sun
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